Various silicone containing monomers have found utility as starting materials in the production of medical devices, such as ophthalmic devices and particularly, soft contact lenses having improved permeability to oxygen. One class of suitable monomers includes tris and bis(trimethylsilyloxy)silylalkylglycerol methacrylates (“SiAGMA”). One process for making SiAGMA includes reacting the epoxide of the SiAGMA with methacrylic acid and either the sodium, potassium or lithium salt of methacrylic acid and an inhibitor, such as hydroquinone monomethyl ether. Reaction conditions include heating for about 15 hours, and yields SiAGMA having a purity of between about 75 to 95% and a number of byproducts, including dimethacrylated byproducts. When included in the monomer mixes used to make ophthalmic devices such as contact lenses, the dimethacrylated byproducts can act as crosslinkers, which even in small quantities can change the modulus of the resulting device. Accordingly, the concentration of these difunctional byproducts must either be tightly controlled or minimized. Removal of the difunctional byproducts is conventionally done by a cumbersome silica gel column chromatography step.
Thus, there remains in the art for an improved process for the production of SiAGMA type compounds, and particularly one which minimizes the formation of difunctional byproducts.